Pineapples Can Cause Risks for Farmers

Published fredag 15 oktober 2010 kl 10.46

Swedish stores sell pineapples which are grown with the help of chemicals which can cause sterility or birth defects for workers who use them. A new report from Consumer International, which investigated the growing process of pineapples in Costa Rica, found that many of the farms selling pineapples use pest or weed control chemicals which can also cause injury to the eyes and skin.

One of the companies highlighted in the report is the multinational Dole which is the sole supplier of pineapples to Axfood, a Swedish company which owns shares of several supermarket chains in Sweden. Jan Bertoft, the general secretary of the Swedish Consumer Association, called for Axfood to use its buying power to demand better working conditions from Dole. But Åsa Domeij, an environmental manager at Axfood, said the criticism was unwarranted. She said the company tries to ensure the farms are safe by visiting and interviewing workers.